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The Custom Purchase

Give someone else some cash-ola and a list of demands - and they do the shopping for you. It all sounds like an exceptional deal :)

This time I asked for one specific thing - more of that in a bit - and perhaps "a Sephora OPI polish...anyone will do, I just like them". That's about as specific as I got. So I was well and truly shocked then when I received 5 of the things!

The pretties!!!

From L-R:

* Opening Night - a potent dark blue. This is unlike anything else I have
* Caffeine Fix - the darkest dark brown I have ever seen, richer than Essie's Little Brown Dress, and it has to be said, with a much better name.
* Studs & Stilettos - wearing this now and this is Particuliere's darker toned cousin: stunning!
* Eve-y on the Eyes - another rich tone, this time an opaque darkened violet.
* Screen Test - a pinker and brighter version of OPI's I'm Not Really a Waitress.

I have to admit - and this is a bit sad - that I just like looking at them all lined up :)

PS. Someone messaged me to ask what I do with my nails - maintenance wise. Well um....I cut them very short and use a Natural Collection 4-way buffer. Occasionally I apply cuticle oil - but only if I am feeling very organised and beauty-dedicated. Otherwise? Pretty much naff all :)

The Specific Thing

So the reason for the CP was to bravely get hold of a perfume. I use the word bravely as I have never tried this perfume before.

Yep, it's that Boyfriend perfume - produced by actress Kate Walsh (Confession: Had to Google her...what can I say? I haven't devoted enough time to Grey's Anatomy.)

The promotional copy talks of the "sexual scent of a man" - oo-err - and accords of vanilla, amber and fresh woods. I was utterly convinced I would love it.

So here it is....

...and?

It's absolutely nothing special. It's not unpleasant but it's not AT ALL original. I say this because it is almost a dead ringer - in my mind - for Santa Maria Novella's Vanilla Cologne: an arrid vanilla that is not overly feminine but dripping with notes of cloves and amber.

It's therefore neither too sweet nor too woody. It doesn't smell too old nor too young. The balance is all there and on paper it fits, but for me, the fact that it reminds me so much of another scent - and one I tried 10 years ago - leaves me a little disappointed. Couple this with the fact that the longevity is non-existent on my skin and it's a thumbs down.

Yes, the advertising campaign is fun and the concept behind it is very interesting but you want my two cents?

If you really want the sexual scent of a man go straight out and buy Terre d'Hermes. Now that is what you want your boyfriend - and you - to smell like :)

oh wow i don't know what it is about blue nail polish that always makes me NEED it. opening night looks fantastic. i don't like Boyfriend either. i really thought i would but you said it perfectly there isn't anything special about it.

I love the Sephora OPI line, they colors are just so nice. I don't think I have any of those colors, I will have to cart myself to Sephora right now.

I saw Kate Walsh talking about the perfume on TV and the way she spoke made me think it was just a gimmick. I didn't think much thought would be put into the fragrance. But that was just a feeling, sounds like my hunch was right.

I agree with you about looking at pretty nail polish. I always find a way to convince myself I neeeed another nail polish (I really don't). I get excited to put it in it's color-coordinated spot lined up with the others. :)

I absolutely love all your blazers! I've stayed away from jackets because I felt stiff and boxy in them, but you have convinced to give them another try. And I will definitely be stopping by Sephora this afternoon for Studs & Stilettos!

Hi Laura, Absolutely agree with you on ho hum Boyfriend - and coincidentally, the day I smelled it in sephora, I walked away instead with a sample of terre d'hermes! Terre smells as good on me as on my husband. Bvlgari Black (another fave masculine) though, does better on my skin than his. Reminds me that fragrance gender is an arbitrary marketing tool - just like kate walsh's "sexual scent of a man". Eek, btw.

jeez, I just ordered Boyfriend from the other side of the pond a couple of days ago! No I don't even want it! but maybe it'll surprise me in a good way;) Thanks for the review anyways, your blog makes my day!<3